Antrim team up for nursing accolade

The person-centred nursing innovation and practice team at Northern Health and Social Care Trust is a finalist in the Nursing Older People category of the RCNi Nurse Awards 2017, the profession’s top accolade for nursing excellence.

The award, sponsored by Bupa, is for nurses who have enabled older people to live at home for as long as possible or improved their experience in residents/care homes or hospital.

The team from Antrim Hospital will find out whether it has won at a ceremony in the Westminster Park Plaza hotel, London, on May 5.

The RCN Nurse of the Year 2017, selected from all the category winners, will be announced on the night.

The team devised and implemented a Dementia Companion one to one care role that has improved patient experience on Antrim Hospital wards.

It convened a multiprofessional steering group, secured funding and recruited, trained and supported Band X staff for the pilot.

Team member Maria Loughran said: “I am both honoured and privileged to be part of this initiative and am delighted that we have been shortlisted in these awards.

“It is a wonderful recognition at a national level of our work as a team to improve the experience for patients living with a dementia in our acute care wards.

“Admission to hospital can be frightening for people living with a dementia and we wanted to improve their experience,” she said.